Another year, and another April Fools Day is done and dusted. I am fairly certain that for journalists, April 1st is better than Christmas, as it marks the one day where media outlets make the news they wish they could report on daily. And as usual, the imaginations of the motorcycle media pool didn’t fail to disappoint.
My colleague David Emmett had a nicely done story about the MotoGP World Championship, and the ever increasing high-stakes game that is the rider contract Silly Season.
An expertly crafted April Fools story, perhaps the biggest disappointment from David’s piece is that we must now knowingly live in a world where “Racing with the Stars” isn’t a show we can watch on TV. I know my life will be the lesser because of it.
For my own part, I took advantage of the long-con approach, and fit a story into our ongoing series about the upcoming Suzuki Hayabusa, which seems to have no shortage of weekly rumors about this bike’s supposed features and technical specifications.
All I’m going to say is that “Drag Busa” rolls right off the tongue, and an extendable rear swingarm would be “tyt” with the Busa’s core demographic. Hopefully someone in Hamamatsu is listening.
How about from the rest of the industry though? In case you missed them, the highlights of April Fools Day are after the jump.
“Laguna Seca Ends Sound Enforcement Regulations” – Ultimate Motorcycling
Oh Laguna Seca, your world-renowned race course is plagued by an overly restrictive noise ordinance…but what if it was no more? That is where this story by Ultimate Motorcycling takes us.
The satire on the sound situation in Monterey County is on point. But, pass us a drink, because this story is salty!
UPDATE: It looks like RideApart picked up this story, and briefly ran it as news, which of course is the ironies or ironies.
“Legal Loophole Allows Battery Bikes to Flaunt Loud Pipes” – Canada Moto Guide
Our friends to the north brought the noise and got in on the April Fools spirit too. As such, Canada Moto Guide also saw the increasing issue of noise as worthy target for this blessed day’s ire, envisioning a loophole where electric motorcycles could bump fat beats with impunity.
There is actually a serious issue with electric vehicles being too quiet, especially for those who are visually impaired. We doubt it will take long before a mandatory minimum sound limit enters the space. Oh, the irony.
BMW’s Maker Top Box – ADV Pulse
Another fake story that will likely become true one day, BMW teased the idea of a Maker Box (rapid prototyping machine) housed in the top box of a BMW R1200GS Rallye.
Of course, a good ADV rider can’t help but pack every tool under the sun, and now they won’t have to. Trouble on the side of the road? Just make the part or tool that you need. Mark my words, this day is coming.
2019 KTM 1090 Adventure E – UPSHIFT
Another solid ADV spoof, and another solid bit of Photoshoppery, the folks at UPSHIFT Magazine continued to show their orange-colored glasses with their KTM 1090 Adventure E story, which scooped the industry by saying that the adventure-tourer would come in an electric variation.
The pannier batteries were an excellent touch, and we have to give UPSHIFT the award for best in class when it comes to image manipulation. Superb.
“Borna Explains Why Jonathan Rea Not Marc Marquez Will Carry Number 1 Plate Following WSBK / MotoGP Merger – Motorcycle Daily
Another cutting commentary, this time about the state of MotoGP and WorldSBK. Unfortunately though, this story on Motorcycle Daily sadly will not live on past April 1st. What did it say? You may never know.
“Schwantz to Wildcard at COTA with NTS” – MotoGP.com
Don’t look now, but even Dorna (not Borna) go in on the April Fools fun. Doing a little promo work for the Grand Prix of the Americas later this month in Austin, Dorna published a story that Kevin Schwantz would wild card in the Moto2 race.
“Seven Reasons Harley-Davidson Is One Of The World’s Biggest Brands” – Cycle World
Last but not least, even the folks at Cycle World got in on the fun, posting this hilarious story about why Harley-Davidsons are so great, which they pretended was journalism and not paid content.
Sure, they posted it a day early, but I am still impressed on the attention to detail they did with the three four Harley-Davidson ads posted along with the story. That’s why they’re the gold standard. That’s why they’re the publication of record.
Did you see any good motorcycle-related April Fools jokes this weekend that we may have missed? If so, be sure to post them in the comments.
Title Graphic: Rich Lee Draws
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